ISO has played an extraordinary role in shaping the modern global economy. It has set the universal benchmarks that ensure products and services meet the highest levels of safety, quality, and reliability. This contribution is unquestionable, indispensable, and foundational. ISO standards protect consumers, support international trade, and create common expectations that allow companies to work seamlessly across borders. The world needs ISO. High-quality standards are not optional—they are essential.
Yet this raises a profound question for the future of entrepreneurship: Can we have both? Can the world maintain the rigorous, globally trusted ISO standards while also creating a system that acknowledges the reality of small and medium-sized enterprises? Can the balance between excellence and practicality finally be achieved?
The tension arises not from ISO itself but from how ISO certification is administered. ISO develops and publishes standards, but it does not perform the audits or issue certifications. That responsibility falls to thousands of independent certification bodies around the world—firms whose business model relies on assessing whether organizations meet the ISO criteria. These firms play a crucial role in maintaining global integrity, yet they often operate with a uniform, one-size-fits-all approach that does not account for the unique challenges SMEs face. Their processes, timelines, documentation requirements, and audit expectations are usually calibrated for large corporations with compliance teams, not for small businesses where one person may simultaneously serve as CEO, HR manager, operations lead, and customer service director.
This is where ICSB’s concern lies. The question is not whether ISO standards are valuable—they absolutely are. The question is whether the certification companies responsible for verifying compliance have created pathways that are realistic, accessible, and appropriately scaled for SMEs. Many small businesses report that the process feels rigid, costly, and overly burdensome, as if they must reshape their entire operation to fit the certification model rather than having the model meet them halfway. SMEs operate with agility, creativity, and human-centered teamwork; yet the certification process often rewards formality, documentation, and fixed procedures that do not reflect how entrepreneurial firms thrive.
As a result, although SMEs account for more than 90 percent of all businesses worldwide, only a small share hold ISO certifications. The system—intentionally or not—favors large enterprises. And this imbalance limits small firms’ ability to participate in global value chains, export markets, and supply networks, where ISO certification is increasingly required. The world needs to ask whether the current certification practices truly reflect the diversity of firms that make up the global economy.
ICSB believes that a better balance is possible. High standards should not exclude small firms; they should elevate them. Quality should not be a barrier; it should be an enabler. And excellence should not demand conformity to a corporate model, but rather recognize the human-centered strengths that define entrepreneurship. Through Human-Centered Entrepreneurship (HCE) and the Human-Centered Entrepreneurial Orientation (HC-EO), ICSB introduces a new way of thinking about organizational capability—one rooted in empathy, empowerment, and enablement. These principles provide a pathway for developing SME-appropriate approaches that preserve ISO’s rigor while acknowledging the realities of smaller firms.
Looking ahead, ICSB aims to work closely with ISO and with certification bodies to explore how a more balanced system might emerge. This includes elevating the conversation about SME realities, co-creating adaptable guidance for small firms, and building a global platform where entrepreneurs’ needs are represented alongside the requirements of international quality frameworks. ISO ensures excellence—this will never change. But excellence becomes stronger when more people can access it.
As ICSB celebrates its 70th anniversary, one idea resonates across all its work: systems should serve people, not the other way around. The task is not to weaken standards, but to strengthen inclusion. The goal is not to change ISO’s mission, but to expand its reach. And the future we seek is one where the world’s smallest businesses can stand confidently within the world’s highest standards—where quality and entrepreneurship advance together.
